Are you tempted to try something other than the standard white? Don’t be afraid to incorporate a little (or a lot) of color into your work with ASTROBRIGHTS®. This Neenah brand series is the largest collection of brightly colored papers available, ideal for adding some pizzaz to any project. With a smooth finish, 25 vibrant shades to choose from and envelopes to match, it’s easy to see what makes these attention-grabbing papers so popular.

Let’s explore how these bold shades got their start:

A Bright Beginning

ASTROBRIGHTS® was the first line of brightly colored papers introduced to consumers. It all started in 1967 when forestry scholar Chuck Hodgdon began working for Wausau Paper’s new product division. With bright colors increasing in popularity thanks to inventions like color television, Chuck’s team started to look at developing a line of intensely colored papers. After testing consumer response to different colors, they discovered that their Solar Yellow shade (which still exists today!) received three times the response of a standard white sheet. Not long after that, they took their new colors to a convention where – thanks to the influence and buzz of the recent Apollo 11 Moon landing – the name ASTROBRIGHTS® was born. Watch this video to get the full story:

By 2015, Neenah Paper had purchased ASTROBRIGHTS®, as well as several other Wausau Premium fine paper brands, and began expanding the collection to include a greater variety of weights, including 70 lb Text — a paper designed to meet the maximum weight of 1 oz USPS mailers, so you can send bright and beautiful direct mail without incurring extra postage cost.

Get Noticed with Neenah 

Studies have shown that:

ASTROBRIGHTS® work well with dark pigment and metallic inks. They also perform beautifully with variety of finishes, providing you with not only with a bright paper that makes a bold statement, but also a memorable piece of work.

Here are some of the printers and finishes that can be used with ASTROBRIGHTS® paper:

For more information about printing with ASTROBRIGHTS®, check out our printing and handling hints guide and Neenah’s product considerations.

When to Use ASTROBRIGHTS® Paper

Their eye-catching properties and quality makes ASTROBRIGHTS® papers and envelopes ideal for use in:

Sending the Right Message with Color

Color can send a strong message about your brand. Different colors have psychological associations that can be used to set a specific tone or convey a feeling. For example, blue is often favored by social networks and financial institutions because it inspires trust. Here are some recommendations for evoking the right emotion using color:

Pink

Associations: Calm, innocence, energy, femininity, joy

Uses: Noted for its ability to sooth

Yellow

Associations: Stimulating, optimism, happiness, friendliness

Uses: Attracts and incites impulse buyers, activates memory

Blue

Associations: Relaxation, trust, security, calmness, serenity

Uses: Conveys that you are responsible and reliable

Green

Associations: Nature, environment, health, eco-friendly, money, balance, restoration

Uses: Encourages decisiveness and improves creativity

Purple

Associations: Royalty, wisdom, spiritual, nostalgia, luxury, authenticity

Uses: Commonly associated with royalty, purple denotes high quality

Black

Associations: Power, authority, elegance, tradition, timeless, exclusivity

Uses: Communicates sophistication and prestige

Be Bold with ASTROBRIGHTS® Papers

Don’t be afraid to step outside the comfort zone of classic white! Sometimes a bright color can give your project the boost it needs to go from good to great.

Shop our Full Selection of ASTROBRIGHTS®.